Harp



und Aug. 5. '1929 s shuts-sheet i i Aug. 11, 1931.

a QISTARKE 1,817,951

ma Aug. s. 1929 s sneu-sunt 2 Patented Aug. `11, 1931 PATENT oir-'FICE EMI: O.v STARK-E, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Application med August 5, lo. $788,589`

Another object of the tail-piece is to im` prove the tone sounds of the harp duo to the special arrangement or acute alignment of the strings from the said tail-piecey in relation to the assage through the eyelets in the sounding oard. v

A further object of this tai1-pieoe is to cause a somewhat downwardly and rearwardly thrust or pressure of the sounding board.; i. e., due to the path of the strings at approximately right angles, thus retaining the sounding board in balance and permanent position when all the strings are 1n proper tensional tune.

And further, by the use ofthis tail-piece embodied in a harp for anchoring the strings,

the quality of more exact, full and ,half` tones is accomplished. Thereforeit will ybe understood by the foregoing objects attained, it will be unnecessary to readjust the action-mechanism as often as is now practiced.

With these and other objects in View, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists .of certain constructions, arrangements and combinations of parts that I shall yhereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full comprehension of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view yof a harp,

a portion` ybeing broken away andillustrating` the embodimento my invention;

ig. 2 is an enlarged detailed view taken through the acoustic chamber illustratin the string tail-piece to Whichrtheends of the 5g strings are yfastened in the usual Way, together with yassociated .parts of usual con struction;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal transverse cross sec-v tional view showingfvery clearly my inven- 5g' tilprnear the base of the acoustic chamber; a A v. n

K Fig. .4 is a similar View, but taken atfthe' upper portion of same. f u,

- he reference character A represents the 59 harp as an entirety comprising the acoustic chamber Ay of usual construction. B is the laminated sounding board provided with an' innenstring bridge C and anv outer l string bridge D. The usual frame work, as desi 55 f nated by they referencech'aracters E and ,y n respectively, Vare of usual construction.y yThe frames E, E are constructed lengthwise within the acoustic chamber, andthe frames F, F run, transversely to actas reinforcing ribs 79 of the acoustic chamberstructure.4 f Y.

v Interposedbetween the rear ywall "of the acoustic chamberandthe sounding board' and' its associated parts is located the string tail#Y piece H, V-shaped incross section as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The above mentioned'stri'ng tail-pieceH is made of suit- 'ableumetal material', and tapers from 'the' bottom ttothe 'top slightly for the ,reason that thegreatesttension kof the strings exists so at the base, and the'string tail-pieoe H may Y be supported both at the top and bottom, asshown, and, supported or reinforced as bvf intermediate metal saddle-strips G fastened, as shown, onthe main-frames E, E.

Heretoforeain practice, the strings reach ing fromtheneck; portion ofthe harp have always been :anchored to the sounding board directly and tends to shorten the life of the harp by warping the sounding board, but in i my invention it will be understood by reference to the drawings that Isupportthe strings K indirectly to the sounding board and to a rigid anchoring means, as by the string tailpiece H provided with a plurality of buttonhole slits 7L for the insertion of the knotted string ends 7c of the strings K. The strings K are then supported and pass through the severalL holes provided in the inner bridge piece C, sounding board B, and the outer bridge D containing the usual eyelets, respectively, and then to the action mechanism of usual construction. No eiiort has been made to illustrate this mechanism, as it is wellknown science.

It will be noticed that the strings K vary somewhat in respect to alignment from end to end; i. e., from the action mechanism at the neck portion to the sounding board they all lie parallel, and pass therethrough at an acute angle and then almost back againto the original angle, thus producing a zig-zag Course.

In this peculiar arrangement ofthe strings, together with the rigid metal tail-,piece that lengthens the life of the harp, instead of a warping effect as occurs in harps now manue factured, I attain a great achievement, in that the above described arrangement retains the sounding board in an original and permanent position'as a rearwardly and downwardly thrust is developed as the strings are being made taut and in tune for playing, thereby practically balancing the sounding' board p intermediately between the action mechanism and the tail-piece H.

And further, by the above described arrangementof parts and elements so associated a more harmonious and sustained quality of tones is attained.

The above are the distinctive features of my invention and while I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown, as many changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. But having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the following:

l. In a harp, a base, a pillar, a neck for the action mechanism for the strings, an acoustic chamber having a sounding board, eyelets arranged in said sounding board through which pass the strings to a string anchor tail-piece in a zigzag course and a plurality of reinforcing strips'for intermediate support of said tail-piece within the acoustic chamber, as set forth.

2. In a harp, a base, a pillar, a neck for the action mechanism for the strings, an acoustic chamber having a sounding board, eyelets arranged in said sounding board through which pass the strings to a tapered metal'V-shaped string ancher tail-piece in a forth.

E. O. STARKE. 

